


Robin vs. Gotham

by SereneSorrow



Category: Batman vs. Robin (2015), Gotham (TV)
Genre: Alternate Dimension, Alternate Universe, Court of Owls, Crossover, Dimension Travel, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-09-24 16:27:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9770354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SereneSorrow/pseuds/SereneSorrow
Summary: Crossover! Damian (from Batman vs. Robin) winds up in the Gotham TV Series and becomes his father's bodyguard because Bruce can't stop getting into trouble.(Because wouldn't it be cute if Bruce and Selina keep running off to search for clues and get into trouble and everything they're always doing anyway and Damian just keeps chasing after them trying to keep Bruce alive because he's untrained and going to get himself hurt so it's like 'come back here father! You need me to protect you!') :PNote: Only following Bruce's scenes from the show so other Gotham characters won't have many appearances.





	1. Time Bomb Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 1 starts in Gotham Season 3 Episode 10 - Mad City: Time Bomb.  
> The perspective in this story is pretty much from all the characters at once, instead of breaking it up like I usually do (with the asterisks: ***) most of it isn't really a person's individual thoughts, more just describing what is happening, but occasionally there are little things that you would have to know who's thinking it or it would be odd if Selina suddenly sounds like Alfred.  
> So I was hoping to have more time to write this and wanted to start posting it during the winter break having a chapter for every episode, but I wound up being really busy and unable to get as far as I wanted with it... but since they started airing new episodes again there's only been one that really adds to the Bruce vs. Owls story so I've had more time with this (though still not working on it as much as I want to) so I'm just going to post what I have so far and try to find time to keep working at it since they're not showing the next episode until April 24. Hopefully I'll have time to catch up to my goal.  
> P.S. - None of my other works are abandoned, just like I said I've been busy, so try to be patient! I am still writing them!

     “Those men were out to kill for this key and we need to know why. There are more books I haven't gone through in the study. There has to be a reference to the key somewhere.” Bruce said, standing from the breakfast table.  
     “Have you considered that maybe its just an old key?” Selina asked, still picking at her food.  
     “No.” Bruce said curtly, turning to leave the room and missing the disdainful look Selina sent him.  
     As soon as he left Selina picked up the key and started snooping through the empty kitchen, searching for ingredients. When she found what she was looking for and mixed it in a glass she added the key too and set off for the study after Bruce.  
     “Is that vinegar?” Bruce asked from the ladder he stood on against a bookshelf.  
     “Vinegar and baking soda, takes tarnish off anything.” Selina explained.  
     “Selina that key is hundreds of years old!”  
     She was really getting tired of Bruce assuming she didn't know what she was doing. “I'm not an idiot you know. Maybe there's something on the key that you can't see because a hundred years of crap is covering it up.” They traded a look and Selina could tell that Bruce didn't know why he always said things that seemed to upset her either, but she wasn't quite willing to forgive him for it so she let it drop for now.  
     “Will you take that key out now, its making me nervous.” Bruce finally said.  
     “Hmm, there's an engraving on it, sort of like a bird?” Selina handed him the key.  
     Bruce took it and looked closer at it through a magnifying glass. “Not just a bird an owl.”  
     “Uh, and?”  
     “Alfred!” Bruce called as he raced from the room.  
     Selina trailed after him more slowly towards the conservatory where Ivy and Alfred should supposedly be. As she walked in Bruce was already midway through a rushed conversation with Alfred.  
     “If you're right then possessing this key could be seen as breaking your agreement with the people represented by the woman in the owl mask.” Alfred was saying.  
     “Which is why we need to know more about the key, before she finds out we have it. This is our first lead on the people she works for and it just fell into our laps, we have to take advantage of this chance.”  
     “Yes and how are you going to learn more about this key? You've already searched for anything to do with these people and come up with nothing, what good will adding a key to your search do? I don't think that there will be any more information in your books about a key with an owl on it than there was on a group that speaks through a woman in an owl mask.” Alfred asked, making it clear that he wished Bruce would just give up on fighting these people.  
     “I have a way of learning secrets.” Ivy volunteered from the row of plants she was tending.  
     Everyone turned to Ivy, waiting for an explanation.  
     “Plants can do more than most people realize, just mix a few of them together and you can get just about anything.” Ivy said. “That's how I got the necklace with the key in it in the first place.”  
     “How are plants going to help find information about a key?” Selina asked.  
     “You think I can't do it? Just you wait, I'll do it, you'll know all about that key when I'm done.” Ivy insisted defensively.  
     “Well it can't hurt to let her try... whatever it is she wants to try.” Selina suggested to Bruce before he could say something rude.  
     Bruce took a moment to consider it, always overthinking everything, it honestly made Selina feel like he didn't trust her opinion. “Alright, but I'm going to look in a few more books.”  
     After Bruce left Selina moved over to the row of plants that Ivy was now sorting through, pulling a stem or a leaf here and there to add to a little pile she'd set aside.  
     “I don't need you help you know, I know what I'm doing.” Ivy insisted.  
     “Fine, whatever.” She wasn't sure if she believed Ivy, but she found a chair in the corner to sit in and watch as Ivy worked, selecting more plants and finding a bowl to mix them up in. She asked Alfred for a few things and tossed them into the bowl as well in a way that Selina thought looked completely random. Eventually Ivy claimed that she was done, and said that they should go find Bruce.  
     A few minutes later Ivy placed a glass of clear green liquid and a bowl full of green plant goop on the table they were all gathered around in the study. Next to the bowl Bruce reluctantly placed the key.  
     “I made it thicker because I figure it needs to be stronger since keys can't talk.” Ivy announced as if that made sense to anyone else in the room. Glancing between them like she expected an argument Ivy eventually picked up the key and reached into the bowl, smothering the key in the green matter. She left the key in the bowl and withdrew her hand, watching the motionless concoction while everyone else traded looks she didn't see.  
     By some unknown signal Ivy pulled the key from the bowl and wiped most of the green goop off of it with a finger, inspecting it. Next she lifted the glass and poured half its contents over the key, apparently unaware of Alfred's reaction to the liquid splattering all over the antique table below. Setting both the key and the glass down on the dripping table Ivy then leaned down and whispered to the key like it was a rich man with an expensive watch she wanted. “I bet you have a secret you want to tell me don't you? Something about owls and masks, right?”  
     Bruce looked like he wanted to interrupt, and Selina was losing patience too, but Ivy was her friend and she was willing to give her a few minutes. Bruce's research wasn't getting them any more information than this crazy production would anyway.  
Under Ivy's intent gaze the key glowed green like the liquid she had poured over it, startling them all. Suddenly the key lept into the air and shot across the room, it ricocheted off of a number of fixtures and caused them all to duck for cover behind the chairs and sofa, before freezing in mid air and casting out an aura that grew into a swirling disc of green light.  
     “How did that bloody plant concoction actually have a levitational effect on an inanimate object?” Alfred muttered as he peered over the back of the chair he crouched behind at the floating key.  
     Suddenly two shapes emerged from the light and resolved themselves into a man in the midst of a backflip which he continued over the back of the sofa and a boy who sprang after him with a sword raised in a two handed grip. The boy was dressed in some kind of multicolored costume with a cape and a mask, whereas the man was concealed from head to toe in black and gold and covered in knives. Knives with which he was deathly proficient, as he proved when he drew and threw them at the boy who narrowly blocked and dodged the blades that flew at him with shocking speed.  
     The man turned on his toes and jumped back over the furniture to the side of the boy who followed his movement and launched an attack of his own against his larger opponent, lunging forward with his sword slashing at the man's legs. The man lept and came down on the antique chair Selina was hiding behind, shattering it and sending her scurrying to the next chair with Ivy. With a twirling move the man grabbed the boy's wrists and wrenched the blade from his grip as the boy tumbled to the floor but in a moment he was up again and drawing two oddly shaped black shards of metal, probably some of his own knives, from out of nowhere. With a jump that was higher than Bruce had ever seen anyone, even Selina, jump before the boy flipped and landed booted feet first on the man's shoulders, stabbing both knives down at the man's face.  
     The man ducked and shifted his shoulders to throw the boy off him, reaching sharp clawed gloves after him and snagging the boy's cape. The boy twisted around and seemed to use the cape to pull in close under the man's guard as he plunged the knives into the man's torso, shoving forward and tripping the man to bring him slamming to the floor on his back. Jumping on top of him the boy drew a number of differently styled concealed blades, nothing like the metal shards he'd used before, of his own and pinned his injured opponent to the floor through the shoulders despite Alfred's sudden outcry at the damage he was inflicting to the original hardwood floor. The man struggled soundlessly against the weapons as if unaware that he was injured and the boy grabbed his head and twisted until a loud crack echoed through the study and the man went limp.  
     The boy stood up and looked around the room, seeming unmoved by the room around him that must have been a different location from the one he'd come from and yet the boy didn't show any emotion. Instead he walked calmly to where he'd dropped his sword and returned to the man's body, swinging the sword in one swift stroke that had the man's head rolling away from his body. Selina fought back her nerves as she saw Bruce stand up despite Alfred's whispered objection of “Master Bruce, be careful you shouldn't-” and got to her feet as well to have a better look at the stranger. He was about her height, a little shorter than Bruce, and he had black hair and tanned skin. The costume he was wearing looked more like body armor now that he wasn't moving and she thought she could tell where some of his knives might have been hidden. Selina realized that during the fight the bright glow of whatever portal had surrounded the key was gone and the key must have fallen to the floor.  
     “Who are you, Why have you brought me here?” Having noticed them the boy demanded, stepping towards where Alfred had placed himself between Bruce and the boy's weapon which he now aimed at the only adult in the room.  
     “Ivy what did you do?” Selina asked her friend where she stood reluctantly behind the chair next to her.  
     “I don't know, I just asked about the key's secret like you wanted me to! I didn't know it was going to bring some kid assassin here!”  
     The boy refocused on Ivy and sprang onto the chair in front of them, holding the sword to her throat. “Return me to my home witch! I must help Father defeat the Court of Owls!”  
     “Whoa, hold on kid, Ivy doesn't really know what she did, careful with that sword.” Selina interrupted, drawing the boy's attention. She stepped away from Ivy and around the furniture and the boy jumped down from the chair to follow her movements.  
     “Ivy, and the rest of your names are?” He demanded.  
     Bruce stepped out from behind Alfred despite the man's objections to his putting himself at risk and the boy's attention, and sword, turned to him. “I'm Bruce Wayne and this is my house, if you have a problem deal with me.” Bruce said.  
     “Bruce Wayne?” The boy reacted with a sudden step back and an immediate lowering of his sword. The boy's brow crinkled with thought before smoothing out again as he came to a decision on how to respond. “This cannot be a hallucination or mental manipulation, or I would not have been able to perceive the Talon as he truly was, so it must be some kind of time or dimensional travel like Father has been teaching me about.” The boy explained, not that they really understood what he was talking about.  
     “Right well now that that's cleared up, perhaps you could explain who you are, who that man is and why you broke his neck. While you're at it you can disarm yourself as well, I'd rather not witness any more beheadings today.” Alfred insisted, again putting himself between the boy and Bruce.  
     The boy scowled at the move. “Tt. You may call me Robin,” he said as he sheathed his sword over his shoulder, “and as long as you do not summon any more Talons then I suppose it is unlikely I will have cause to behead anything else. Though that walking corpse will be trying to kill me again in about three minutes unless he is frozen or dismembered and dispersed. Do you have a preference Pennyworth?”  
     “How do you know my name?”  
     “Reasonable assumption. This is Wayne Manor.” Robin said.  
     “Right, well _Robin_ , perhaps if you know about this dimensional travel as you say then you can explain why you showed up when Miss Ivy asked about a key.”  
     “How should I know how the witch's magic works? I suggest you send me back to my world, Father and I were in the midst of battle with assassins sent by the Court of Owls and Father will need my help.”  
     “Wait, maybe that's it, the Court of Owls he's talking about could be about the key with the owl engraved on it and the woman with the owl mask.” Selina realized. “I mean it's not like a key could have talked to us like someone Ivy used that weird potion on, so maybe this kid is supposed to tell us about his Court of Owls, maybe they're the same people who are threatening you Bruce.”  
     “The Court of Owls is threatening you? How? Have they sent any of these?” Robin directed at Bruce, gesturing to the dead man on the floor.  
     “They have some kind of control over my family's company, when I tried to look into it a woman in an owl mask threatened the lives of everyone I care about if I didn't give up on looking into their corruption.” Bruce explained.  
     “Tt. The Court of Owls has been around since Gotham was founded, if you don't join them or get out of their way they will kill you. They are a selfish and self-destructive secret society of the wealthy elite of Gotham City who bribe or kill anyone who threatens their absolute control of Gotham's infrastructure. This walking corpse is one of their assassins, a Talon.” Robin said. “Is the industrial freezer behind the pantry Pennyworth?” He asked, collecting his knives from the body and dragging the body up by its armor before he waited for Alfred to answer.  
     “Yes, the freezer is behind the pantry, but how do you know that?”  
     “I live here.” Robin said as he dragged the body from the room.  
     “You think he's going to come back for the head or are we supposed to follow him?” Ivy asked.  
     “I'm not carrying a severed human head anywhere.” Selina answered, holding up both hands in a no way gesture.  
     “Do other dimensions really exist? He acted like he understands what's going on, just not the details of our situation.” Bruce said to himself more than anyone else. “Why would he live in Wayne Manor?”  
     “Because I'm your son.” Robin announced suddenly from the doorway. They all gaped at him. He'd taken off the mask and Alfred was shocked at how much the boy resembled Master Bruce, clearly proving his statement. His skin was darker but his eyes were a perfect match for shade and with his build and bone structure he looked like he could be Bruce's younger brother.  
     “No way, your kid from a different dimension is some kind of zombie killing assassin?” Ivy joked.  
     “This isn't really a joke Ivy, you're going to have to figure out how to send him back home.” Selina said, turning frustratedly to her friend.  
     “Oh come on Selina, at least admit it's gotta be freaky to see your own kid from the future or whatever.” Ivy said unconcernedly.  
     “Selina Kyle?” Robin asked in a tone dripping with disdain.  
     “You got a problem with me kid?”  
     “Tt. Do you or do you not have a way to return me to my dimension?” Robin evaded, glancing away from her.  
     “Nope. No idea.” Ivy said.  
     “Find a way, witch.”  
     “Don't talk to my friend like that you brat! She'll figure out how to get you back so don't be such a demon!” Selina snapped.  
     “Alright, I think we all need to just calm down, Miss Ivy can return to the conservatory and see if she can find a way to send Robin back to his dimension. In the meantime perhaps Robin can tell us what he knows about the Court of Owls where he comes from, perhaps they are similar and we can learn something about the people who are threatening us.” Alfred said, stepping in to diffuse the tension.  
     “Fine, I like the plants better anyway.” Ivy said as she flounced out of the room.  
     “Tt.” Robin collected the Talon's head and disappeared again.  
     “Well this is going _so_ well. This key's not at all more trouble than it's worth.” Selina commented sarcastically as Alfred began mopping up the mess Ivy had made of the table.  
     “We might finally be getting answers about these Owl people, it may be in an unorthodox manner but I intend to take full advantage of every resource I can. Even if it's something as fantastical as travelers from other dimensions.” Bruce argued.  
     “Sure, whatever, but if my daughter shows up next don't expect me to take it as calmly as you are. How are you not freaking out about your son being here?” Selina asked.  
     “It's not difficult to imagine that people eventually grow up and have children. I'll probably have a son at some point in the future, and with what I've seen in the last two years honestly magic is just about the only thing left that would surprise me.”  
     “Magic. Like what Ivy just did. You don't think that was magic?” Selina was dumbfounded, it certainly looked like magic to her.  
     “I'm sure there was science that I don't understand behind what just happened, the chemistry in mixing the plants together proves that.”  
     “I had better see if Miss Ivy needs anything for her concoctions.” Alfred announced to disrupt their budding argument, picking up the bowl and glass she'd left behind.  
     “I take it back, this is not going well at all. Seriously Bruce, just get rid of the key already. Before any of your future grandkids show up.” Selina said with a sigh as she collapsed onto the nearest chair.


	2. Time Bomb Part 2

     “As it seems I will be stuck here until P- _Ivy_ can send me home I may as well continue my battle with the Court on your behalf.” Robin announced as he re-entered the study.  
     Selina looked up at him over the back of the chair but Father- _Bruce_ kept his head down, studying the book he was reading intently. “Tt.” Robin felt the same irritation he'd become so accustomed to in his own world at the familiar dedication Father gave to a case. He knew full well that this boy, barely older than he was himself, was not actually his father. He knew that he may not ever be born in this world at all and seeking a parental figure in this teenager was irrational but he felt slighted all the same, and all the more irritated at his own weakness for having these feelings at all.  
     “He's always like that. I think he's read that book cover to cover three times but he still thinks it can tell him more about these Owls somehow.”  
     Ignoring her guess at his train of thought Robin asked a question instead. “How exactly did Ivy bring me here in the first place?”  
     “I have no clue how it all worked out, as far as I can tell she just mixed up a bunch of plants into a paste, but if she managed it once I believe she can do it again. She's always had a thing for plants and recently she's been doing a lot of things with them that I wouldn't have thought were possible. She made some kind of perfume that actually makes people answer her questions and basically do whatever she asks, she's stolen a bunch of stuff that way, so however she comes up with these plant potions I believe she can figure out how to undo whatever it is she did and get you home again.”  
     “She certainly had better sort out what she has done, I have a mission to return to.” Robin growled, covering his desire to return to his father and his attempt to right his mistake in trusting the Talon.  
     With her arms crossed over the back of her chair Selina watched him in a way that Robin was uncomfortably sure meant she could see more about his thoughts than he meant to reveal, a talent that he was surprised to find she possessed at her current age. He wondered if the Catwoman in his world was as observant of people as Selina was here.  
     “What about your Owls, do you know where we can find them or what they're doing exactly?” Selina asked, apparently understanding that he was not going to speak further on the matter. The change of subject drew him further into the room.  
Taking a seat in another chair Robin considered the question. There would likely be many differences between the Court of Owls in this world and the Court he was familiar with, for one thing many of the Owls that had observed him when the Talon had tried to recruit him would be Selina's age now. Different minds would be leading the Court, and therefore their actions could not be predicted based on any of his previous dealings with them.  
     “Once night falls I can place surveillance on some of the locations and properties the Owls kept in my world, and I can make up a list of family names who are now known to traditionally be members of the Court. Other than that I will need to begin an investigation from scratch, assumptions about their operations cannot be based on facts from my world, likely the Owls I dealt with are your age here and unaware of their parents activities.” Robin explained, thinking ahead to what he would like to accomplish tonight and what technological resources he would need to acquire to accomplish his desired tasks.  
     “Okay. How'd you get involved with the Court of Owls in the first place?” Selina asked.  
     “Yes, how did you even learn of their existence, did someone approach you on their behalf?” Bruce cut in, finally looking up from his book.  
     Robin considered his answer. He didn't want to admit that he had considered joining the Talons because of his distrustful relationship with his father, or that it was his own revealed identity that had brought Batman and Wayne Manor under attack. Batman had run into a number of Talons on his own, but perhaps there was a better way to explain. “There has always been some very vague knowledge of the Court in my world. There is a warning that parents in Gotham pass to their children. A nursery rhyme that Grandfather told my Father when he was a child.”  
     “A nursery rhyme? Why would people use a method like that to warn about these killers? Why wouldn't they talk about them properly so that something could be done?” Bruce demanded to know.  
     “Likely because anyone who discovers the Court is assassinated. Anyone who tries to bring them down is marked for death. However a bunch of children singing in a schoolyard with no understanding of what they speak cannot be killed without suspicion. Dozens of children murdered in the night would bring investigations and far more attention than the Owls desire. Safer to warn the next generation through a neutral medium.”  
     “Okay, so how does this rhyme go then? Are there clues in it about the Court?” Selina asked, leaning toward him to hear the rhyme, eager for answers.  
     “Very well, the warning is as follows: Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time, ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime. They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed, speak not a whispered word of them or they'll send the Talon for your head.”  
     “It certainly is poetic, but there don't seem to be any specifics about the Court, only the warning. It seems mostly motivated towards instilling fear of the Court.” Bruce said after a moments pause to go over the words again in his head.  
     “After our investigation of the Court began Father was kidnapped and taken to one of their meeting places. The Owls were unaware that we were already investigating them and asked Father to join their ranks. He managed to buy time for our investigation to continue but we have been unable to uncover just how much of Gotham they truly own or have under their control through blackmail, bribes and threats. When you brought me here we were under attack here in the Manor because the Grandmaster of the Court was able to discover our investigation.” Robin explained, uncomfortably leaving out that he had revealed his identity to the Grandmaster who had recognized him and realized that his father was Batman.  
     “So we're going to have to keep investigating on our own, great. Some help you are Robin.” Selina accused, feeling resigned to having to put up with Bruce continuing his obsessive investigation.  
     “We're learning plenty, Robin knows how the Court operates, he can make a list of potential members of this organization. We will have a list of suspects that we can narrow down, find actual Court members, this is so much more than we had before.” Bruce countered and Robin could tell that he was already trying to plan an investigation even without the training and resources Batman possessed. Perhaps Bruce would have more surveillance equipment Robin could use when he went out tonight.  
     “I will need more surveillance equipment, I only have a handful of microphones with me for regular missions, do you have cameras that I could plant around the city?” Robin asked his Father- _Bruce_.  
     “I can get some, we should talk to Detective Gordon, he might have access-”  
     Robin cut off Bruce's suggestion. “Gordon has proven trustworthy but we cannot assume that the Court does not have eyes and ears in the GCPD. In fact I would consider it guaranteed that they do, it should have been the first place they infiltrated to keep apprised of all that goes on in this city. Making him aware of the situation, carefully, could be managed but he should refrain from acting on this case while he is likely already under their watch.”  
     Selina could tell that Bruce wasn't happy about Robin's clear demand but she saw the sense in his explanation. Even if it did sound completely paranoid apparently that was the frame of mind necessary for dealing with the Court of Owls.  
     “I will begin preliminary surveillance tonight, while you begin to discreetly gather what I can use for a more thorough watch, I will set things up as you come by more materials.” Robin stated firmly, and Selina had a moment of delight at Bruce's attempt to control his reaction but even so showing his displeasure at not being the one to decide on their final plans.  
     “We may as well see how Alfred and Ivy are doing in the meantime.” Bruce finally managed. When they arrived in the conservatory however, Alfred was the only one they found.  
     “Where is the witch?” Robin demanded.  
     Alfred glanced at the side door that was standing open. “She's gone.”  
     “How?” Bruce asked.  
     “Likely by the manipulations Selina described to me. Clearly she got the better of Pennyworth, made him tell her how to get past your security.” Robin accused.  
     “Don't worry about it, she'll be back when she gets hungry.” Selina sighed.  
     The phone rang, the timing of the sound startling them all. When Alfred answered the call a voice he didn't recognize spoke. “We have your friend, we'll make exchange no?”  
     “Where and when?” Alfred asked as the children traded glances.  
     After the call Robin cut in. “Who was it?”  
     “They didn't say, but they have Miss Ivy, and they want the key.” Alfred explained.  
     “An exchange, what location did they give you?” Robin demanded as he pulled his mask out of some hidden pocket and began reapplying it.  
     “You glue that to your face? How do you get it off again?” Selina asked, interrupting Alfred's answers to Robin's questions about the details of the exchange despite her worry over what Ivy had just gotten herself into.  
     “That is unimportant, give me the rest of the details of the call, Pennyworth, and then get the car.” Robin insisted as he checked over the pockets in his belt and pulled up his hood.  
     “Don't you think you should change into something a little less conspicuous?” Bruce asked with a sharp look at Robin's colorful suit. Honestly, Selina had gotten used to it, but she could see Bruce's point. The bright red, yellow and green wasn't exactly going to help them avoid attention when they went to this meeting.  
     “And leaving my weapons behind when we are attempting to rescue a hostage and bargain for your lives sounds like a good idea?” Robin sneered and Selina had too hold back a laugh at Bruce's flustered expression.


	3. Time Bomb Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I have too many story ideas, so I've decided to update my ongoing stories with shorter chapters so that I actually do keep updating them, so this chapter is MUCH shorter than the first one.

     “Stop the car here.” Robin said suddenly, startling Alfred into stopping the car. “Wait twenty minutes and then meet me there. I will scout the location.” Robin ordered, opening the door.  
     “If you think I'm letting a child-”  
     “I am more experienced in these matters than you are Pennyworth, I will not allow you to walk us into a trap simply because you see yourself as the only competent member of this group solely because you are the lone adult. I will scout ahead.” Robin said with finality. He left the car and walked over to a nearby alley, jumping onto a fire escape and rapidly ascending to the rooftop.  
     “So we're just supposed to sit here? What's he even going to do?” Selina asked the now silent car.  
     “He does seem to know what he's doing, whatever it is, I think we should trust him.” Bruce said.  
     “I guess all rich boys stick together.” Selina muttered as she crossed her arms and slumped down in her seat.  
     Alfred pulled back into traffic two minutes earlier than Robin had asked for, and they arrived at the location to find a deserted area and a manhole cover. Getting out of the car Bruce looked around but didn't see anyone, and there was a noticeable absence of an armed boy in a cape.  
     “Where is he?”  
     “You're early.” A voice answered from the air as suddenly Robin landed beside them with a surprisingly faint thud. They all stared as he rewound a cable into some kind of launching device and replaced it on his belt. “There is no one outside, we are not currently being observed. This is unlike the Court.” He said as he circled the manhole.  
     “We are supposed to go down there?”  
     “Well that is what they said. Right, give me the key. I'll sort it out.” Alfred said, holding out a hand to Bruce for the key.  
     “No, I need to speak with them personally and make sure they understand that this was a mistake.” Bruce looked aside at Selina. “There's no way of asking you to stay out here that doesn't end with you yelling at me is there?”  
     “No.” Selina simply said, pushing ahead of him.  
     They all climbed down the manhole, Robin insisted on going first despite Alfred's numerous objections, and after walking a few feet the boy just seemed to disappear.  
     “Robin?” Bruce asked, worriedly.  
     “Keep going. I will watch from the shadows.” Robin's disembodied voice hissed.  
     Eventually they came out in a dark room, cluttered with old machinery and through the dark they were just able to discern Ivy across the room.  
     “About time!” She called over to them as three larger figures made themselves known. Two of the men seemed normal, from what they could discern through the shadows, but the third man wore a metal mask and carried a crossbow.  
     “My name is Bruce Wayne. I need to speak with Kathryn.”  
     “Hand over the necklace and you get your friend back. That's the deal.” One of the kidnappers, likely the leader, said.  
     “You mean the key don't you? You're not getting it back until I speak with the people you work for.” Bruce demanded.  
     “Then maybe we will kill you and take it.” The leader said as his allies raised their weapons.  
     “Do you really think we're stupid enough to bring it down here with us? You want it back, listen to him.” Selina cut in.  
     The leader gestured and the weapons were lowered. Ivy felt the cuffs around her wrists loosen and glanced aside, catching sight of Robin briefly before he was sliding back into the shadows.  
     “I need to speak to the woman in the mask.” Bruce said, stepping forward.  
     “Any assurances that woman gives you are lies.” The leader stepped towards Bruce as well.  
     “How do you know?”  
     “They do not work for the Court, that is how he knows.” Robin announced suddenly, appearing from the shadows next to Ivy, who suddenly pulled her arms free of the pipe she had been handcuffed to.  
     The leader and his men spun suddenly, weapons raised again as Robin pushed Ivy towards Bruce. Ivy stumbled against the leader but Bruce was able to pull her away from him and keep her moving towards Selina. As he did so Robin lept from the ground high enough to kick the crossbow from the masked man's arms and knock his feet out from under him. He then drew his sword and held it to the throat of the second man, as the leader observed the situation.  
     “Start talking,” Robin insisted, “and this won't get bloody. Now who are you?”  
     “I am Luka, My brother Jacob, and that's Dmitry.” The leader gestured to the men Robin had taken down.  
     “What's with the stupid mask?” Selina asked of Dmitry.  
     “I like you, you remind me of my sister in Kiev.” Luka laughed. “Dmitry is an initiate, the mask ensures his silence until he proves himself and becomes a full member.”  
     “A full member of what?” Bruce asked.  
     “The Whisper Gang. We are Gotham's most notorious smugglers, once numbering in the hundreds until the Court saw our strength and offered us a partnership. These people, They have no honor, and they will betray you, as they betrayed us. Those of us who remain hope to find a way to enact our revenge. We have finally found something.”  
     “The key.”  
     “It opens a safe.” Luka explained as he unrolled a map on the table around which they all gathered. “It is in one of the Courts buildings, here. Inside there is a device that we believe can destroy them.”  
     “Some kind of weapon?” Alfred asked, skeptically.  
     “Well honestly we don't know, the Owl we captured only knew that the Court fears it falling into enemy hands. The key that you now possess was believed lost, and so there is a chance to steal this device without being suspected.”  
     “I want to help.”  
     “Master Bruce-”  
     Bruce ignored Alfred and spoke directly to the leader. “The Court of Owls killed my parents and I stood down because I thought that there was no way to defeat them. If there is something in that safe then that is no longer the case.”


	4. Time Bomb Part 4

     Robin watched from the shadows as the Whisper Gang made their way down the docks, following along behind all of the crates stacked all along the dock. Luka was giving orders to his men, Robin had seen Jacob move off into the darkness already and supposed that he was leaving to meet with more of their gang. During the meeting in the sewer Luka and Bruce had come to an arrangement before they had parted ways, but Robin had warned Bruce he didn't know Luka well enough to trust him and that it would be dangerous to work with the Whisper Gang without gathering more information about them. Which was why Robin was now following their new allies.  
     “Gather the men, tell them we are joining forces with the boy.” Luka was ordering Dmitry.  
     “Volk.” A voice called from the darkness.  
     “Dmitry, eyes.” Robin heard Luka order as the two pulled weapons but he was already scanning the shadows for what he suspected was a Talon. He hadn't realized the Whisper Gang were being followed by anyone but himself until their follower had called out.  
     Robin stayed still, not even drawing a weapon, to prevent any slight movement giving away his position to the sharp eyed Talon. He did not have to wait long for the assassin to appear, and before Robin had time to move Dmitry was impaled through the back on a long blade. As Dmitry fell Robin used the sound of the falling body to mask any small noise of his own movements as he changed positions, darting around behind the Talon as carefully as he could. He knew it was unlikely that he could launch an attack with strategic advantage before the Talon had taken out Luka as well, but surprisingly the Talon began questioning Luka instead.  
     “We know you've been searching for the second key. Have you found it?” This Talon was a tall and thin man who did wear a mask but was otherwise attired to blend in with civilians, the armor Robin was familiar with was missing and his weapons were two long blades instead of a wealth of concealed knives.  
     Instead of answering the Talon, Luka immediately moved in close to attack him, unwise against the Talons Robin was accustomed to but this one seemed far more alive than any other he had met, even the one who had convinced him to betray Father. Perhaps the Court of Owls in this world did not use the same preservation process for its assassins, though Robin could not imagine why.  
     Luka was still far from a match for this Talon and Robin would have only a limited window to attack if he wanted to out number the Talon, if Luka was killed before Robin made his move then it would be better to keep to the shadows and report back than risk fighting the Talon on his own with no knowledge of its full capabilities. If this Talon was not a reanimated corpse than Father would not want him to kill the man, even if the Talon was a murderer many times over, which would make surviving a solo fight with him potentially too difficult to risk at this stage.  
     Robin found as good a place as he was going to get from which to enter the fight and just in time, despite escaping the Talon's hold Luka left too wide an opening as he swung his knife at the Talon and the Talon struck, slicing into Luka's side. As Luka fell to his knees the Talon bounded past and lept from the edge of a crate as Luka struggled to turn to face him. Before the Talon's blade could strike again Robin threw a batarang and a paralytic dart in quick succession, before leaping from the side as he drew his sword. The Talon dodged the Batarang, which clattered off into the darkness and Robin lost sight of the dart, unaware if it hit the Talon or if it would even affect the man at all. Robin managed to catch the Talon's blade with his sword, inches from rending Luka's flesh and for a moment Robin struggled to force the Talon back before the assassin slipped back on his own for a new attack. Robin moved to draw the Talon's attention away from Luka, to give him time to get back on his feet, and the Talon came at him more carefully that he had at Luka and Dmitry.  
     _Perfect_. Robin thought bitterly. So he had already proven to this Talon that he was a greater threat, that was not good. If this Talon escaped and the Court became aware of his existence they would be on the lookout for him, and more likely to spot his surveillance of them. He needed to take this Talon down.  
     A number of clashes of their blades and a near miss that drew a line of blood across Robin's cheek and then Luka was back in the fight, coming in higher than Robin could reach and ducking low trying to trip up the Talon as Robin flipped over his head. The Talon landed more hits on both of them, though Robin's armor protected him from any other cuts and then suddenly, and surprisingly, the Talon faltered. Robin's sword sliced across the back of the Talon's right calf in the brief hesitation and with another overreaching move that left Luka open to a fatal blow his knife sliced into the Talon's throat, not deeply enough to kill as the Talon managed to launch himself back at the last instant but enough to disable, and the Talon fell. His movements slowed and Robin realized that his paralytic dart must have hit the Talon after all, and fought through any enhancements to the man's body's natural defenses to finally have an effect.  
     “What, are you doing here?” Luka gasped around the pain of his injuries.  
     “Spying on you.” Robin felt no need to conceal the obvious. “Which was a good plan as it turns out.” He kept his sword drawn as he carefully inspected the unconscious Talon, starting to disarm him and pulling fewer blades than he would have suspected from his unassuming clothes.  
     “You are more skilled than I imagined, even from your display in the sewer. Why did you not kill him?” Luka asked, referring to the downed assassin.  
     “I follow the rules of another, despite my own willingness to kill. Do not make the mistake of thinking I am incapable of it.” Robin warned, though he was bluffing. He fully intended to continue proving himself capable of following Batman's code.  
     Luka barked out a small laugh. “And now you remind me of myself as a boy. Gotham breeds strange children.”  
     Robin bristled at being compared to the smuggler, but Luka set to work beside him, disarming the Talon and dragging him back to the car Luka and Dmitry had arrived in.  
     “We will secure the Talon for interrogation, go back to your friends until our next meeting as planned. If I find you following me again I won't ignore it.” Luka said as he leaned against the now closed trunk.  
     “Unless I have cause to save your life again you will not _find_ me following you.” Robin delivered dryly as he moved around the car and out of Luka's sight.


End file.
